I got my copy yesterday, too!! :) All the recipes in the book sound delicious and fairly easy! I'm so excited. I'm planning on making everything in this book by next year - my own year of vegan cheese!

Mine is supposed to be here Wednesday! I'm so, so glad I popped into this thread, though, because although I had bought a huge bag of cashews, I had forgotten I need to make the rejuvelac. I guess I'll get on that tonight so that I'll be set to go.

Miyoko, have you had success in halving your recipes? If at all possible I would probably like to try halves just to figure out my preferences and abilities before sinking tons into ingredients.

For those kind of scared of rejuvelac (and count me among those): yeaaaars ago, like back in 2007 or so, there was somebody who made some neat vegan cheeses using those fermented tofu cubes you find in jars in Asian markets. Does anyone have a record of those posts? Anybody tried using these with the new cashew cheese craze? I'm not sure if they still have living cultures when jarred, but it might add some fermented taste in less time.

Anyway, glad to hear about the cookbook, my cookbook shelf is FULL though!! *clicks add to cart*

i just bought wheat berries and started soaking them and it turns out they are parboiled! so dumb! I've never seen parboiled wheat berries before. I'll have to go shop somewhere else tomorrow to start my rejuvelac.

_________________I am not a troll. I am TELLING YOU THE ******GOD'S TRUTH****** AND YOU JUST DON'T WANT THE HEAR IT DO YOU?

To Bekki, you can cut the recipes in half if you want, but the recipes aren't huge - they make between 12 - 16 ounces each. The way I look at it, if you're going to the trouble of culturing and waiting, you might as well make it worth your while and make the full batch. But it's up to you.

Annak, I have a couple of recipes in that use the fermented tofu, but that doesn't work entirely as a probiotic. It does, however, give it a nice flavor for a "stinky" type of cheese.

Arg. I used a container too small and my rice just got funky instead of sprouty. Now I've readjusted the amounts and used quinoa, so hopefully things will go better. AND the stupid health food store I went to had no soy yogurt, so I couldn't get that started, either. I've even considered trying to cheat and start a yogurt culture using the flavored stuff (since I can get that in a regular grocery, just not the plain), but I imagine that wouldn't end well for cheese making.

I'm so excited about this book and I can't wait to get things lined up to start making stuff. I've almost decided to start with the Pub Cheddar...but I love nearly any sort of cheddar, so it's a hard pick between the three.

Is there a reason that you need to use a glass jar? Right now I'm just sprouting in a plastic Silk yogurt container and it seems to be fine. If I can find a glass jar tomorrow, I will transfer for making the actual rejuvelac, but I dunno how necessary it is.

_________________I am not a troll. I am TELLING YOU THE ******GOD'S TRUTH****** AND YOU JUST DON'T WANT THE HEAR IT DO YOU?

Arg. I used a container too small and my rice just got funky instead of sprouty. Now I've readjusted the amounts and used quinoa, so hopefully things will go better. AND the stupid health food store I went to had no soy yogurt, so I couldn't get that started, either. I've even considered trying to cheat and start a yogurt culture using the flavored stuff (since I can get that in a regular grocery, just not the plain), but I imagine that wouldn't end well for cheese making.

I'm so excited about this book and I can't wait to get things lined up to start making stuff. I've almost decided to start with the Pub Cheddar...but I love nearly any sort of cheddar, so it's a hard pick between the three.

No worries on not being able to find an unsweetened yogurt. Use the mildest flavored stuff you can find - vanilla or lemon- the amount is so little it won't matter in the end (but try not to use something like blueberry). For your next batch of yogurt, however, be sure to save some of the first batch to be the starter of the second. You can keep reusing each batch as the starter for your next. I once had a yogurt going for years. Not as organized now, so occasionally, I have to buy commercial soy yogurt as my starter.

My book came! It looks really great. Quinoa rejuvelac is so fast!! My quinoa sprouted in one day, though at first I thought the germ that released in the soak were sprout tails, but then I figured it out. I hope I didn't mess it up though, I had to start with tap water, but once it sprouted, I've switched to bottled spring water. I need to get new filters for my Brita filter!!

I can't decide what to do first, but it's happening soon! Miyoko, did you play around with using anatto in any of the cheddars for color?

xokittee

_________________Cake Maker to the Starspakupaku"Stupid society. I'm gonna go put on bikini kill."~Susie Tofu Monster"Kittee is wise. Listen to Kittee."~Aruna--> the PPKr currently known as mumbaikar

For the mozz arella that I made a month ago, I used a rejuvelac recipe that doesn't require actual sprouting. Just soak the grains (I used quinoa) in water for 8 hours, rinse, cover with a few cups of water and wait a few days unil it is sufficiently fermented and starts to foam on top. Is there a difference in taste or bacterial content between rejuvelac from sprouted and merely soaked grains?

I'm not a fan of plastic, especially if it's in a warm room. That's the real reason. But if plastic is all you have, use it!

Thanks, miyoko! I don't know why it's so hard to find glass jars in my neighborhood. I thought it would be easy, but I went to all the grocery stores and hardware stores and no one had them. I'll definitely grab a few for next time.

_________________I am not a troll. I am TELLING YOU THE ******GOD'S TRUTH****** AND YOU JUST DON'T WANT THE HEAR IT DO YOU?

My book came! It looks really great. Quinoa rejuvelac is so fast!! My quinoa sprouted in one day, though at first I thought the germ that released in the soak were sprout tails, but then I figured it out. I hope I didn't mess it up though, I had to start with tap water, but once it sprouted, I've switched to bottled spring water. I need to get new filters for my Brita filter!!

I can't decide what to do first, but it's happening soon! Miyoko, did you play around with using anatto in any of the cheddars for color?

xokittee

I have used anatto for color, but I think the nutritional yeast and miso give it a yellow-enough color. If you want it more orange, you can definitely use anatto.

I just moved and had to buy grains (picked rye) to get my rejuvelac started, so I'm just waiting for sprouts right now. Feh. Wish I'd started sooner! I also had to order xanthan gum and carrageenan (thanks for the tip on Irish moss powder in the back, that made it easier to find in small quantities), and with any luck I'll be putting on my kaasboer hat by next week.

I'll probably start with non-melting Mozz and Pub Cheddar, though I'm also eyeing the Gouda.. I was thinking about all the variations I used to see when I lived in Holland, like caraway seeded and nettle..and that smoking it might be fun as well! (Probably easier to just add liquid smoke, though!) I also can't wait to try the fondue and the fauxgurt and..and...and...

Thanks, Miyoko, for monitoring this thread! The book arrived yesterday and it looks amazing, I can't wait to get started!! I thought I might be able to buy rejuvelac at Whole Foods but no luck.

Thanks, Miyoko, for monitoring this thread! The book arrived yesterday and it looks amazing, I can't wait to get started!! I thought I might be able to buy rejuvelac at Whole Foods but no luck.

Yes, thank you! I know I've been full of questions and I really appreciate your responses. I got some mildly flavored yogurt and now have my nuts for that soaking. Oh, and my quinoa sprouted overnight, so I should be making cheese within a few days.

annak, where did you find cheaper/smaller amounts of Irish Moss? I want to be on the lookout for some more since I'm guessing mine may not last too long.

With shipping it's ~$11. Still a little crazy but less crazy than getting a couple pounds of it! I didn't try going to any brewing stores, though I probably should because I should probably make beer. But first, cheese.